1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for applying solvent for forming an image, which appropriately applies a solvent for forming an image to an image recording material.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image recording apparatus is known in which image recording processing is effected by using two types of image recording materials, e.g., a photosensitive material and an image receiving material.
A device for applying solvent for forming an image, which applies a solvent for forming an image to a photosensitive material, is disposed in this type of image recording apparatus. Further, a heat developing transfer section is disposed in the image recording apparatus. The heat developing transfer section comprises a heat drum and an endless press-contact belt which press-contacts the outer periphery of the heat drum and rotates together with the heat drum.
An image is exposed on the photosensitive material while the photosensitive material is nipped and conveyed within the image recording apparatus. After water, which serves as a solvent for forming an image, is applied to the photosensitive material in a section for applying a solvent for forming an image, the photosensitive material is conveyed into the heat developing transfer section. The image receiving material is delivered into the heat developing transfer section in the same way as the photosensitive material.
In the heat developing transfer section, the photosensitive material to which water has been applied is superposed with the image receiving material, and the photosensitive material and the image receiving material are fit closely to and trained around the outer periphery of the heat drum in this superposed state. Both materials are nipped between the heat drum and the endless press-contact belt and are conveyed. Accordingly, the photosensitive material is heat-developed, and the heat-developed image is transferred onto the image receiving material so that a predetermined image is formed (recorded) on the image receiving material.
Liquid spraying devices have been heretofore known as devices for applying liquids such as water to a material to be coated. The conventional liquid spraying device has a liquid spray head which sprays liquid from nozzle holes, and can uniformly apply a plurality of liquid particulates to the application surface of an opposing material to be coated. Examples of the liquid spraying device include a spray-type atomizer, a piezoelectric-type fuel injector, an ink jet printer, an atomizer for humidification, and the like. Further, coating devices, felt-type coaters, dipping-type coaters and the like are also known.
When devices for applying a liquid to a material to be coated are used to apply a solvent for forming an image to an image recording material, various drawbacks arise as described below.
For example, in a spray-type atomizer, a liquid and a gas are mixed at the time of spraying. Therefore, gas is mixed in with the particulates forming the atomized mist, and there is dispersion in the particle sizes. This dispersion impedes the uniformity of the liquid which is applied to the application surface. Further, the positions at which the particulates forming the mist land on the application surface (the landing positions) cannot be finely controlled. Therefore, when a small amount of the liquid is applied, the uniformity of the liquid applied onto the application surface is impeded even more.
Because an atomizer for humidification randomly atomizes the liquid, drawbacks arise in that, in the same way as in the spray-type atomizer, there is dispersion in the particle sizes and in the landing positions of the particulates.
In a piezoelectric-type fuel injector and an ink jet printer, the nozzle holes are disposed so as to be concentrated in a narrow region. Therefore, the liquid spray head having the nozzle holes must be scanned within a two-dimensional plane, and a relatively large amount time is required for application of the liquid. Further, an ink jet printer is structured so as to turn each nozzle hole on and off independently. Therefore, a drawback arises in that integration technology is required to construct a liquid spray head having a plurality of nozzle holes, and the liquid spray head becomes expensive.
In coating devices and dipping-type coaters, the device itself contacts the application surface via the liquid. In felt-type coaters, the felt contacts the application surface via the liquid. As a result, substances on the application surface become mixed-in in the devices. Drawbacks arise in that the devices may become blocked or dirtied, and the durability of the devices is low.
Moreover, when a large area is to be coated by using a felt-type coater, the felt must be long. As a result, in order to achieve uniformity of the application, severe demands are made on the precision of the alignment of the felt with respect to the application surface.
In liquid spray devices which spray liquid onto an opposing surface by using a liquid spray head having nozzle holes, the liquid such as water or the like must be supplied to the liquid spray head. Accordingly, in order to supply the liquid to the liquid spray head, a structure in which a tank for accumulating the liquid is provided may be used. However, in a structure in which merely a tank is provided, the stability of the spray pressure conditions of the liquid spray head and the stable supply of the liquid cannot be ensured, and the liquid cannot be sprayed stably over a long period of time.
Further, when liquid such as water or the like is applied to a photosensitive material, there are cases in which the swelling characteristic of the liquid into the surface of the photosensitive material, which is the application surface, is poor, and swelling requires a large time period. In such cases, after the liquid droplets land on the application surface, adjacent liquid droplets on the application surface which have not yet penetrated the surface coalesce, which results in non-uniform coating.
For example, in a device such as a line-jet type device in which liquid droplets are scattered and land on the application surface, a situation such as that illustrated in FIGS. 21A-21F arises. Namely, when the liquid droplets L, which have landed on an application surface K in FIG. 21A, begin to penetrate into the application surface K as in FIGS. 21B and 21C, in FIG. 21D, adjacent liquid droplets L contact each other, interfere with each other due to surface tension, and coalesce. Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 21D through 21F, this coalescing proceeds such that the liquid droplets L swell to varying degrees between the solid line and the dotted line, and as a result, the application surface K is coated non-uniformly.